Moorabool will grace the silver screen after Liam Neeson visited the Bacchus Marsh Aerodrome last week, filming a suspenseful helicopter scene for the upcoming film The Mongoose.
The action film follows Neeson as a soldier accused of a crime he did not commit as he evades police on a high-speed, cross-country car chase – with the help of his former Special Forces Army unit.
Visiting the airfield on Wednesday, February 12, Neeson acted out part of a chase scene set in the United States, with the set including a large fan and a helicopter suspended by a crane.
In an interview with Star Weekly, supervising location manager Stephen Brett said that the aerodrome was chosen because it “services all the needs” of the scene and film crew.
“It’s rural, it suits the story. And it’s a controllable airspace, a controllable airport, great management – and it’s not too far from Melbourne to bring the crews out here,” Mr Brett said.
Eureka MP Michaela Settle said that having a crew film in the region is “so important.”
“Bacchus Marsh is already known as a beautiful town … the fruit bowl of Victoria, and now we’re going to be seen on the silver screen. It’s just wonderful,” Ms Settle said
“We’re so grateful that the production crew and VicScreen have decided to film here,” she said.
“Every meal that they have out, every cup of coffee that the production crew buys is more money into our local economy.”
Melton MP Steve McGhie said that a film of this scale “delivers on jobs.”
“We hear from Liam Neeson himself saying how he loves … coming out here and he’s looking forward to doing more films out here,” Mr McGhie said.
“We encourage him to come to this part of the state to do more films … to keep that investment going and keep creating jobs for people who work in this industry,” he said.
According to the state government, the film will add $19 million into the Victorian economy, with $2 million of that “being spent in regional Victorian communities.”
Producer Al Corley said that Australian film crews have a “hearty, go-get-em attitude”.
“It’s a long hard shoot, and we’re here with flies and it’s 36 [degrees] one day and 26 the other,” Mr Corley said.
“The Australian crews are not only technically very savvy, but they rate right up with the Hollywood crews,” he said.
Neeson said that he was honoured to be back in the state, working with “one of the best crews, again, that I have ever worked with in over 100 movies.”
